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How to Optimize Landing Pages to Increase Conversions

September 26, 2018

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Conversion Rate Optimization

One of the most essential pieces to get right when it comes to establishing a trusted online presence and converting leads into customers is an optimized website with a good structure, key elements, and clear purpose.

Most people understand that they need a good website, but many fail to understand what they should include on a given landing page. It’s extremely important to have a clear message with the right elements and calls-to-action in order to effectively communicate your brand, offerings, and ultimately educate your visitors on what they need to know.

Here are a few important points that you can implement on any landing page that will help to optimize it’s effectiveness:

Have A Clear Value Proposition

When a visitor comes to your site, you have about 3 seconds to capture their attention, tell them what the page is about, and ultimately drive engagement. In order to do this effectively, it’s critical that you have a clear value proposition that can relay the value of your offerings. Here is a good structure to follow:

Headline: Describes a promise to your visitor. Think about what it is that you’re offering and what the visitor should expect to receive from engaging with your site or business.

Sub-Headline: Supports the headline in greater detail outlining the problem being solved or process being used.

Key Benefits: that highlight the features or benefits of the proposition.

Call-to-Action: Directs visitors to the next page or action you want them to take like submitting a form.

Connect to the Problem

When a visitor is browsing your landing page, they often want to understand if your solution will solve the problem or need they have. By outlining this and connecting with them on a psychological level, you’ll be more likely to communicate the purpose of your solution and value the site provides. You can include compelling media such as a video or photography, or simply quote a common phrase that these visitors would typically have. The overall goal should be to evoke an emotion within your visitor and connect to their needs.

Capture Data and Keep it Short

A very important element to include on a landing page is the opt-in form. Almost every successful landing page collects a few pieces of data from visitors to keep in touch with them as leads for the business. It’s important to keep this short in order to increase conversions, and always collect at least an email address.

Establish a Sense of Urgency

This one is big. People act out of emotion through desire, fear or scarcity. Most visitors to your landing page should be happy to read more information about your proposition, but few may be ready to take action. It’s important to create a sense of urgency that highlights the problem, time sensitivity, and overall emotional gain that someone will get through taking action now. Make it a point to create scarcity through the time left to join, limited trials, or missed opportunity in order to drive increased conversions.

Build Trust with Social Proof

Including testimonials or follower metrics can be a huge optimization to your landing page. By including something like, “Join 20,000 subscribers and stay updated with the latest trends“, you allow the visitor to feel a sense of social proof and authority. A potential customer is more likely to join something that already has others involved, or the potential to join the band on the bandwagon. Isn’t that why they call it a bandwagon?

Avoid Stock Imagery

Don’t use stock imagery, it’s like website plastic surgery. Not authentic. Use real photography or illustration. You can find great photography at Unsplash. Find photography which relates to your audience segment and the value proposition you are trying to communicate.

Polish the Design

Lastly, always make sure the design is polished and mobile-responsive. Users are spending 60% of their time on mobile which means it’s absolutely essential for your landing pages.

Be sure to include enough padding between elements, provide directional cues, and make sure the alignment is orderly as you scroll the page. Good Web Designers will use intervals of line-height to create vertical rhythm down the page. You don’t need to go overboard, but by simply using margins evenly divisible by the site’s base font-size, it will help improve the overall vertical rhythm of the page.

Here’s an example of a polished design from the recent Instagram scheduling startup Later: